Which option lists the two main components of a nephron?

Which option lists the two main components of a nephron?

• A. Renal pelvis and ureter
• B. Renal cortex and medulla
• C. Glomerulus and renal tubule
• D. Bowman’s capsule and loop of Henle

Answer: (C)

The nephron has two main functional parts: a filtration unit and a processing tubule. The filtration unit is the glomerulus, where blood plasma is filtered into the surrounding Bowman's capsule. The processing tubule, or renal tubule, then carries the filtrate through its segments—proximal tubule, loop of Henle, distal tubule, and collecting duct—reabsorbing water and solutes and secreting wastes to form urine. This combination—glome­ralus for filtration and renal tubule for modification—describes the two primary components that carry out the nephron’s function. The other options mix parts of the urine drainage system or kidney regions, which aren’t the two main components of the nephron.

The nephron has two main functional parts: a filtration unit and a processing tubule. The filtration unit is the glomerulus, where blood plasma is filtered into the surrounding Bowman's capsule. The processing tubule, or renal tubule, then carries the filtrate through its segments—proximal tubule, loop of Henle, distal tubule, and collecting duct—reabsorbing water and solutes and secreting wastes to form urine. This combination—glome­ralus for filtration and renal tubule for modification—describes the two primary components that carry out the nephron’s function. The other options mix parts of the urine drainage system or kidney regions, which aren’t the two main components of the nephron.